extortion

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Pic of US Teen Accused of Killing Italian Cop Raises Eyebrows

Blindfolding suspects is illegal in Italy, offending officer apparently made a 'mistake' in doing so

(Newser) - On June 19, Italian military officer Mario Cerciello Rega was married in his hometown of Somma Vesuviana. Now, his widow will attend his funeral Monday, at the same church where they were wed, after he was allegedly killed by two American teens, per ABC News . Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth, 18,...

She Ran a 'Love Village' for Kids. Now, 20 Years in Prison

Li Yanxia, who adopted 118 children, was less loving mother, more fraudster, Chinese court found

(Newser) - A wealthy businesswoman who became known as the "Love Mother" in China for adopting more than 100 children has a new label now: convicted fraudster. The BBC reports that 54-year-old Li Yanxia (aka Li Lijuan) was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hebei province after being found guilty...

The Tool Used to Hack US Cities? Guess Who Made It

The NSA designed a tool that's now used by America's enemies

(Newser) - An online hacking tool developed by the NSA is being used to cripple American cities and extort millions of dollars from government coffers, the New York Times reports. Called EternalBlue, the tool was stolen in 2016 and dropped online the year after, enabling rogue actors and foreign intelligence agencies to...

Pay Up or I'll 'Kill All You All,' Relative Allegedly Told NFL Star

Tyrann Mathieu signed new deal, then came the extortion attempt

(Newser) - NFL star Tyrann Mathieu has been dealing with extortion attempts and death threats—allegedly from a member of his own family. The defensive back, who signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in March, received a phone call the next month from a distant relative in...

NRA CEO Slams 'Offer I Couldn't Refuse' From NRA President

Wayne LaPierre says Oliver North is trying to extort him

(Newser) - Wayne LaPierre says he was recently made "an offer I couldn't refuse"—but "I refused it." Per the Wall Street Journal , the CEO and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association delivered a stunning letter to the NRA's board Thursday, one that revealed...

Avenatti Comes Out Swinging Against Nike

He says he will reveal 'major scandal'

(Newser) - Attorney Michael Avenatti came out swinging Tuesday against Nike, accusing the shoemaker—without evidence—of "rampant" corruption mere hours after he was released from custody on charges he tried to extort up to $25 million from the company. In a string of posts on Twitter —a medium he...

Avenatti's Alleged Co-Conspirator Is a Huge Name in Legal Circles

Mark Geragos has represented Michael Jackson, Jussie Smollett, and more

(Newser) - Michael Avenatti is in hot water legally on accusations that he tried to extort Nike . Turns out, his alleged co-conspirator is a big name, too. CNN was among numerous outlets Monday to name Mark Geragos as the unnamed co-conspirator in the indictment. After doing so, the network fired Geragos...

Defiant Avenatti Is Freed on $300K Bond

He's accused of 'old-fashioned shakedown'

(Newser) - A defiant Michael Avenatti was freed on $300,000 bond and promised to keep "fighting that good fight" Monday night after his arrest on charges including extortion and wire fraud . Stormy Daniels' former lawyer, who did not enter a plea during an appearance in federal court in New York,...

The Man Leading Bezos&#39; Investigation Is a Force
Bezos' Blackmail Claims
Get a Response From AMI
the rundown
Feb 8, 2019 10:05 AM CST

Bezos' Blackmail Claims Get a Response From AMI

And more on the Amazon founder's allegations of blackmail

(Newser) - Jeff Bezos was made an offer he couldn't refuse and refused it, very publicly, on Thursday, by way of a Medium blog post that outlined National Enquirer parent company American Media Inc.'s (AMI) alleged attempt to blackmail him with sexual photos. AMI responded Friday morning with a...

Email Bomb Threats Were a Hoax—and a 'Terrible Strategy'

Extortion warnings sent around the US, Canada demanded $20K in bitcoin

(Newser) - Chaos ensued across the US, Canada, and New Zealand Thursday after schools, businesses, government buildings, media outlets, and other venues were hit with a wave of email threats that warned of bombs going off at each target if $20,000 in bitcoin wasn't paid up, USA Today reports. Police...

FBI Details Bizarre Case Involving Riddles, Dead Animals
NH Family Was Sent Odd
Riddles Demanding $250K
the rundown
Nov 28, 2018 12:57 PM CST

NH Family Was Sent Odd Riddles Demanding $250K

The owners of the Rickety Ranch in Hollis, NH, have had a tough 2 years

(Newser) - If the Rickety Ranch sounds to you like the name of a place that might appear on a TV show, you're right in one respect: There's plenty of drama going on around it. Officials say the Hollis, NH, farm has been on the receiving end of a bizarre...

Collins on Effort to Sway Vote on Kavanaugh: It's Bribery

Watchdog group wants DOJ to investigate groups crowdfunding to pressure Maine senator

(Newser) - More than $1.2 million has been raised to help convince Sen. Susan Collins she shouldn't cast her vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, but the Maine pol isn't exactly motivated by the cash influx. Mainers for Accountable Leadership, the Maine People's Alliance, and a group...

Asia Argento: Let's Talk About 'Phase 2' of #MeToo

Actress's lawyer says it was Jimmy Bennett who sexually assaulted his client, not other way around

(Newser) - Asia Argento has already strongly denied the story of Jimmy Bennett, the man who says she sexually abused him when he was a teen—and now she says Bennett was the abuser, not the victim. Mark Jay Heller, the #MeToo advocate's lawyer, tells TMZ it was Bennett who sexually...

Alleged 'Dine-and-Dash Dater' Faces 13 Years in Prison

Paul Gonzales charged with extortion, grand theft

(Newser) - A man who fled at least 10 restaurant dates without paying his bill, earning him the title of "Dine-and-Dash Dater," has finally been nabbed, say law enforcement officials in California. Paul Gonzales, 45, pleaded not guilty Monday to extortion, attempted extortion, grand theft, and petty theft charges, reports...

3 Gay Rights Activists Found Dead in Mexico

Cops say killings were linked to extortion

(Newser) - Mexican officials say three gay rights activists have been shot dead and left along a highway in the troubled southern state of Guerrero. Guerrero security spokesman Roberto Alvarez says the bodies were found Sunday on a road between Taxco and Cuernavaca with bullet wounds to the head. Alvarez said Tuesday...

RI State Senator, 27, Charged With Extorting Sex

Nicholas Kettle has pleaded not guilty

(Newser) - A grand jury indictment unsealed Monday accuses a Republican state senator of extorting sex from a page in the Senate's page program. The indictment was unsealed as Senate Minority Whip Nicholas Kettle was arraigned on two counts of extortion in Providence Superior Court. Kettle, of Coventry, is accused of...

Prisons Face 'Unique Challenges' With MS-13

Officials grapple with more fights, attacks, even extortion as MS-13 population rises behind bars

(Newser) - The good news: Hundreds of MS-13 gang members have been arrested over the past few years. The bad news: Those gang members are now wreaking havoc in the prisons they're in, perpetrating acts of violence and extortion to gain control over their locked-down domains. The Washington Post details the...

Sisters Allegedly Try Internet Scam on Nigerian Billionaire
Sisters Allegedly Try Internet
Scam on Nigerian Billionaire
in case you missed it
Jan 1, 2017 12:44 PM CST

Sisters Allegedly Try Internet Scam on Nigerian Billionaire

And yes we recognize the irony

(Newser) - Someone alert Alanis Morissette because a Nigerian billionaire is apparently on the receiving end of an alleged internet scam. The Toronto Star reports the ironic situation is unfolding around two sisters from Toronto—Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo—recently arrested in Lagos, Nigeria. The sisters Matharoo were "fixtures in the...

Woman Who Says Spitzer Choked Her Arrested: Cops

Svetlana Zakharova allegedly said she'd 'ruin his life' if ex-NY governor didn't pay up

(Newser) - A young Russian woman who put former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer back in the tabloid headlines last winter when she told doctors he had choked her at a Manhattan hotel has been arrested for trying to extort money from him, police say. Svetlana Zakharova, 26, was arrested Monday night...

Cops: Man Tumbles Out of Moving Car to Extort Cash From Mom

Maybe he could've asked for an advance on his allowance instead?

(Newser) - In a scene resembling something out of a cheesy B-action movie, a man with his hands tied behind his back and a bag over his head fell out of a moving car on an Oregon highway over the weekend, the apparent victim of a kidnapping attempt. But investigators in Camas,...

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